Russian FM Lavrov addresses Turkish ambassadors behind closed doors

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and also took part in a meeting of Turkey’s ambassadors and permanent representatives to international organizations on Tuesday.

He addressed Turkish ambassadors behind closed doors. Russian top diplomat addressed such a meeting for the first time.

"It points to a high level of mutual trust between the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers and the fact that the two countries have common interests in a number of fields and are determined to boost partnership and coordination to resolve pressing global and regional issues," Russian Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement.

The five-day ambassadors’ conference is hosting 249 Turkish ambassadors and two charge d'affaires, as well as a number of foreign diplomats.

Lavrov and Çavuşoglu met during the Turkish Ambassadors Conference in Ankara days after the Turkish lira plummeted to an all-time low versus the U.S. dollar, while the Russian rouble lost nearly 10 percent in just several days of August.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 10 doubled U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminium and steel imports.

Lavrov said that new U.S. sanctions against Ankara and Moscow were an illegitimate policy and a way for the United States to obtain an unfair competitive advantage in global trade.

He said the wide use of sanctions reflect Washington's desire to win domination and secure unilateral advantages for its businesses.

Lavrov also added that the U.S. has punished its own allies, an apparent reference to Turkey that recently faced U.S. sanctions.

Washington's policies will undermine the dollar's position as the international reserve currency of choice he also said. Moscow and Ankara have set a goal to switch to national currencies in mutual trade he added.

TURKISH FM CALLS ON US TO RETURN TO DIALOGUE

The U.S. must return to dialogue with Ankara, threats and pressure on Turkey lead to chaos, Çavuşoglu said at the joint press conference with Lavrov.

"There are concerns about the attack on Turkey, including in Europe. We see the consequences of the dollar pressure. The United States must abandon this erroneous position. There are two dimensions: Turkey's stability, important for the EU, and sanctions against Turkey, and tomorrow they may be applied against any European country. This creates chaos," Cavusoglu said.

"If the US wants to retain international respect, it should respect the opinion and interests of other countries, return to dialogue with Turkey," he said.